Irrigation scoop



Oct. 24, 1950 R. 1.. WOLD 2,527,046

IRRIGATION SCOOP Filed March 21, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 'im' l I Fig. 2 RUSSELL. L. Wow

INVENTOR.

Oct. 24, 1950 R. 1.. WOLD 2,527,046

IRRIGATION SCOOP Filed March 21, 1947 s Sheets-Sheet 2 '1 f RUSJELL. L. WoLo INVENTOR.

Pig. 4

Oct. 24, 1950 WQLD 2,527,046

IRRIGATION SCOOP Filed March 21, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 RUSSELL. L. WOLD INVENTOR.

. BY M WW Patented Oct. 24, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IRRIGATION SCOOP Russell L. Wold, Lihue, Kauai, Territory of Hawaii Application March 21, 1947, Serial No. 736,196

4 (llaims.

This invention relates to irrigation systems and,

more particularly, to a method and apparatus for removing water from a flume. Since the ancients, irrigation systems have traditionally included a main ditch or flume through which a main water supply courses, and subsidiary supply channels stemming angularly from the flume, and some mechanism for equitably parcelling out water flowing through the flume to the several subsidiary channels. Such mechanisms comprised notches or apertures in the side of the flume, dams or baffles interposed across the fiume, or combinations of notches and dams for spilling out the water to the subsidiary chan nels or the adjacent ground. Both of the prior systems depend primarily on the static pressure of the water and, in turn, its volume at the point of extraction from the flume, and neither takes into account the deletery wrought in impeding the free flow of the water along the fiume. While on the one hand the water courses are painstakingly arrayed and dimensioned so as to insure sufficient grade and cross-section for flumes to carry the required volume of water, nevertheless the prior systems, especially the ones utilizing dams or baflles, rely for their functioning on impeding the flow of water at the junction with each subsidiary. The effect was thus to stop, and restart-the water at each impedance, so that the volume of water flowing along a flume at any given point depended upon the amount leaking past the preceding impedance. The volume of water handled by'the fiume was lessened by the frictional reduction of its speed, and even then the amount of water extracted from the flume at the head of a subsidiary was only that which spilled out. The object of this invention is to provide for the utilization of the dynamic forces of the water flowing through a flume by shaving off a portion of the flowing stream without substantially impeding or slowing down the passing water. More particularly, it is intended to provide for the introduction of what might well be termed a shaving vane, preferably of curved scoop-like form, for deflecting :a' desired portion of the always swiftly-flowing water to the side of a flume or into the head of a subsidiary channel, thereby introducing relatively little friction in the main course along the fiume.

Another object of the invention is to provide a scoop-like vane curved to deflect flume water to one side or the other of the flume, and to provide elements for removably and adjustably mounting the vane in the flume so that vanes of initially similar forms may be differently applied for satisfying needs varying along the length of a fiume.

In order to avoid erosion of the soil at the delivery point of the water discharged by the deflecting, or shaving vanes, it is intended to provide for the slowing down of the discharge waterafter the water has been deflected ofi from the swiftly flowing fiume stream, but before it reached the ground at the side of or below the fiume. More particularly, it is intended to impart a swirling motion to the water after it has been scooped from the flume so as to dissipate the force of the water before final delivery; i

In the furtherance of these objectives, it is now proposed to provide, in one form of the in vention, a curved deflecting vane,'or scoop disposed over the side of a'fiume and having-a point, which may be termed a pick-01f point, projecting into the stream of flume water. The surface'iof the scoop extends downstream, but alsoangles upwardly towards the level of the top edge of'the flume, from which level it is deflectedto and over one side or other of the flume, simultaneously being given a swirling motion; and finally discharged into a subsidiary channel or furrow.

It is a further object to provide for controlling the pick-off point for the type of scoop which defleets water over the side of a flume. In one form of the invention it is proposed to provide a fin attached to the inner end of the scoop, the fin being responsive to the level and velocity of the water so as to maintain a somewhat constant factor in the effective depth of the pick-off point with respect to the passing water. In another form, it is intended to provide a snoot-like pickup element which normally lies on the bottom of the ilume, but which is joined with the upper portions of the scoop by an extensible connection so that the scoop angle and the upward inclination of the delivery guide may be altered. These and other objects will be apparent from the following specification and drawings, in

which: I 1

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the scoop in operating position; I r

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the fiume taken transversely across Fig. 1, showing the Fig. 1' scoop in front elevation; I

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a modification; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the scoop shown in Fig. 3; I 1 Fig. 5 is a section through a flume showing an.- other modification in front elevation; and, 1

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal, vertical section through the Fig. 5 modification. Y Referring now to the drawings, in which similar numerals denote similar elements, the

invention is applied to trough-like fiumes 2, preferably of sheet metal and laid end-to-end with overlapping ends 4. It should be understood that an array of flumes is disposed across the field to be irrigated, that the several flumes extend lengthwise down an inclination such as a 3% grade and up; that the flumes span a series of furrows 6, and that the flumes themselves are partially embedded in the soil between the furrows, as at 1. The object is to dispense some of the water flowing in the flume to each furrow.

The form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a scoop 8 preferably bent from a blank of sheet metal and including a forwardly directed blade-like edge 9 terminating in a point I 0. The trailing edge ll of the scoop extends upwardly, rearwardly, and towards one side from point I so as to present a slightly upwardlyfacing, upwardly and rearwardly inclined deflecting surface l2 which, when installed, extends towards one side of the flume. Surface l2, at its upper and rear extremities, merges with an inverted trough portion I4, one rear edge of which is bent inward to form a baffle l6.

Scoop 8 is mounted by resting its lower edges I! and IT on the side edge of the flume, and loosely maintained at rest by fastening H to the flume by a stiff wire I8 having its end hooked through opening in the flume and scoop, as indicated at 20, 2 l, and by loosely wiring the scoop adjacent edge I? to the flume, as indicated at 19.

Water rushing along flume 2 in the direction of the arrow is deflected upwardly along the front surface l2, and would be thrown by its own force in a dispersed pattern were it not for the inverted trough portion l4, which channels the water to form a stream. In order to prevent soil erosion by the channeled stream, baflie l swirls the water emitting from the scoop, so that it drops away in other than an unidirectional, jet-like stream.

For a given velocity of water, the amount defiected by scoop 8 depends in part on the depth of point [0 in the stream. In order to adjust the depth of immersion, a curved fin 22 is bolted, as at 24 to the scoop, preferably near point [8. Fin 22, formed of a semi-cylindrical sheet of metal, is attached at 24 to scoop 8 forwardly of its balance point so that its downstream portion tends to hang downwardly, thereby to present its inner surface to the flume stream so as to appl a lifting force to scoop 8. Thus, if the velocity or level of water in the flume varies, the height of point It! is automatically adjusted accordingly, thereby tending to regulate and maintain uniform the amount of water deflected by scoop 8. Likewise, by adjusting the angle of fin 22 upwardly or downwardly the amount of water delivered may be varied by the resultant depth of immersion of point 10.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the scoop is generally T-shaped and includes a hollow cross pipe 28 having open ends 29 resting across the top edges of flume 2. A stem-like tube 3!! having its bore communicating with the bore of pipe 28 and having an open end 32 extends downwardly so that its lower edge 34 rests on the bottom of the flume. The velocity of the water entering open end 32 forces a stream up the inclined inner surfaces of tube 30, thence into cross-pipe 28 where it is swirled vertically and finally discharged out open ends 29. Pipe 28 may be anchored by suitable wire (not shown) to prevent being washed out of position.

The scoop 36 shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is essentially similar in operation to that shown in Figs. 3 and 4 except in that a can-like member 36 hav ing a closed inner end 39 and an open outer end 1!! is supported transversely of a flume 2 by a bent stake 48 passing through openings 42 in the flume and member. A scoop tube 44 having a telescoping extension 46 extends down from member 38 to the bottom of the flume. The length of tube 44 is held in adjusted position by means of a pin 52 engageable through opening 48 in extension 46 and the selected one of a row of openings 58 in tube 44. Preferably, the top of extension 46 is cut away for a short distance back of its open lower end 56, and the bottom wall 58 is angled slightly upward. By means of extension 46, the length and, consequently, the downward angle of disposition of tube 44 may be adjusted to vary the amount of water delivered via member 38 over the side of the flume.

In each of the embodiments described above, the velocity of the flume water is utilized as the impelling force in the deflection of the desired portion of flume water upwardly along an inclined vane surface, and thence sidewise for delivery over the side of the flume.

The invention is not limited to the precise disclosure, but is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. The method of distributing irrigation water, comprising, flowing water at an appreciable velocity along an inclined channel, shaving off a portion onl of the flowing water in an upward direction and laterally deflecting the shaved-off water from the stream towards a subsidiary channel, and decreasing the velocity of the upwardly and laterally deflected water before it reaches the subsidiary channel.

2. An irrigation scoop comprising a tube having an open end means for supporting said tube across the top of an open-topped flume with said open end extending exteriorly of the flume, said tube having an open-ended branch extending substantially transversely therefrom and adapted to be disposed in said flume with its open end angling towards the bottom of said flume and upstream of said tube, whereby to deflect and conduct a portion of the passing flume water into said tube and thence to the side of said flume.

3. The combination claimed in claim 2, said branch being telescopic whereby the angle of extension of said branch may be adjusted.

4. The combination claimed in claim 2, said tube having both ends open, said ends respectively extending over opposite edges of said flume, whereby to pass water exterior-1y to both sides of said flume.

RUSSELL L. WOLD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 159,959 Parker Feb. 16, 1875 845,179 Koren Feb. 26, 1907 845,214 Bazin Feb. 26, 1907 1,077,132 Erickson Oct. 28, 1913 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 124,377 Great Britain 1919 

